Friday, June 8, 2012

Have you ever done a home swap?

We love to exchange homes as it allows you to go on a holiday without being among the tourists but nearly feel like a local.

We have been to really beautiful Basque Country...

Bar in the village

living room of our exchange partners

It was such a lovely experience.

We made friends with the village, got invited by people and were the famous Swiss...

Next was Amsterdam. We had a wonderful loft in the middle of the city with a gorgeous view. The house was a former grain warehouse which is now transformed into apartments.

Here the old wall of the warehouse is visible

we saw ships day and night - unforgettable for me...

Next was Catalunia in Spain.

A holiday apartment belonging to our exchange partners. We had an incredibly beautiful time with the boys as we were close to the beach, had a cool terrace, a swimming pool and bikes we could use...

We spent a lot of time on this terrace - the boys did also sleep on it...

Now in July/August we are flying to Ireland and that is where we are going to stay:

a wonderful place to cook

only 150 m from the beach

Those hens we have to feed - we will have fresh eggs every day...

The landscape we will be in.

Some people say that they would never want to this. It is alright. For us it is beautiful to give away our home and instead get someone else's. Every time we arrived in these places we had an aperitif waiting for us with specialities of the country. Of course also we had something nice and tasty waiting for them. And when we came back home - the apartment was nice and sparkly and sometimes even cleaner than when we left. We even visited our exchange partners in Basque Country last summer and had a great time with them!

16 comments:

We have never done it, but it certainly looks enticing Christa. Are you going to Northern Ireland or Southern Ireland? We have been to the south which is beautiful and very green, but we are going to the north this early Autumn as I have an urge to see the Giant's Causeway.

We have looked at it several times but have never been brave enough to try it! Your house swaps look amazing, and what appeals to me, is as you say feeling more like a local than a tourist. Do you swap cars too?Sarah x

Hi Christa, I think it is a wonderful idea, although I think it would be hard to let someone stay in your home, but I suppose those people will be feeling the same about theirs. Where are you staying in Ireland? Love Linda x

how cool, i have never done it myself. and i dont know if it would be okay with me if others would stay in my appartment.. but its a thing you can definetely think about..i like the pictures :))lovely blog!svenja

Dear ChristaGreat idea! But here we have not used to do this. When we are going on holiday in mainland Greece or to the islands, even in Europe we lived in a hotel! The last two years, unfortunately due to the crisis we did not go anywhere. However, you has hosted a delicious home made!Olympia

Dear Christa.. I think that this is a wonderful idea. I have thought about doing it.

The place you have chosen in Ireland looks sublime and beautiful..and the Irish are so friendly and open. Your other places too look good choices.

maybe you can send me the name of the agency. I have my Rose Cottage and my apartment.. maybe i could do a swap ..who knows..nice post Christa.I can imagine you are so looking forward to your holidays. I wouldnt mind if i was going to cape cod this year.. As Olympia wrote.. times are hard here in the eurozone.

I would probably kill myself cleaning my place and be a total wreck before I left hereand then at the end of the holidayI would be in a frenzy trying to clean the holiday home!!!I would need a holiday after the holiday!!!

I hope that you have a wonderful stay in Ireland.Am praying that the weather improves and that the sun will shine on you and your family

I've had two holdiay swaps - one in London and one in Cambridge. Both were many years ago and great fun. I should think in these internet days it will be even better as you can exchange lots of photos, so you have a very good idea of what the homes are like. It requires trust on both sides, and i always thought that if anything went wrong at least you know where to find the folks! (Nothing did go wrong with ours!) It is something I want to try again.

We have not done this but agree it is a marvelous idea. Friends gave us the use of their home in the Adirondacks where my two artist friends and I are presently. (we shall gift them paintings)Accommodation is usually a large expense on holidays and no doubt makes holidaying more possible.I suppose one just needs a locked closet to store valuables and treasures.

Welcome

I love life. There is so much to see and discover. Keep the eyes open and be curious like a child! Not only look for the bliss at first sight but also discover beauty at second sight. That's what my blog is about. It makes my days blessed and I hope I can make your days a little golden as well! Enjoy!